


let's toast so our wishes can echo like thunder

by adazaii20



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous Relationships, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Author Also Napped Too Long, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Insomnia, Late Night Conversations, Light Angst, M/M, Protective Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, Protective Lee Jihoon | Woozi, RIP, Sleep, depends on what you want, there are povs from both of them, these poor restless fools, this can be seen either as romantic or platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:48:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26055985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adazaii20/pseuds/adazaii20
Summary: Seungcheol couldn't sleep.Jihoon finds himself restless.It's not a surprise to find them together.aka: a late-night jicheol oneshot
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Lee Jihoon | Woozi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	let's toast so our wishes can echo like thunder

**Author's Note:**

> Title inspired by ATEEZ's "Answer"!
> 
> (yes i have a verkwan novella i'm almost done with
> 
> but when you go napping in the afternoon only to realize your family members never woke you up when you freshly rise at midnight
> 
> you gotta invest your energy in SOMETHING)
> 
> Enjoy my midnight writing (again)

Seungcheol's not a stranger to late nights.

Sometimes they come about after a dance practice that lasted longer than normal, or after a night out with some of his bandmates. Sometimes they come about after keeping Bumzu and Jihoon company as they conjured up hits right after the other. 

But most of the time, they come to Seungcheol, unwillingly, in times where he longed for rest instead.

Tonight was another one of those nights. Sure, they've already wrapped up promotions for "Left & Right," but they've been toiling hard in preparation for the next comeback, especially ensuring that the tracks on the next Japanese album were as perfect as they could be. It was gratifying work, and Seungcheol was always willing to offer any help where it was requested, but he gets tired after a long day of work just like any regular human being.

Nevertheless, his body doesn't listen to him, and he's sitting up in his bed, wondering what to do with the next three or four hours he's been given. 

The first thing he does is check the time--although, he really shouldn't be surprised when he sees 12:24 a.m. on his phone's lock screen. He tried to go to sleep approximately an hour ago. Of course his endless tossing and turning wouldn't make time go faster.

In his late-night routine, he would normally browse his social media; whether it be posting on WeVerse or browsing the Explore page on an Instagram account his company doesn't know about, he would satisfy himself to an extent. Somehow, tonight feels different, and he doesn't go onto any of his social media platforms; instead, he slips on the nearest jacket he could find and pads himself out to the colder wooden floors of his dorm's hallway. His eyes quickly adjust to the darkness. Seungcheol wants to use his phone's flashlight to better navigate him through the darkness, but he thinks he can hear Wonwoo's peaceful snoring in the living room. He doesn't want to disturb anyone.

When he passes by some rooms to get to the kitchen, Seungcheol notices one door cracked open. Deciding to peer in it--because what leader wouldn't want the reassurance of seeing a friend peacefully sleep the night away?--he nudges the door open until he can see inside it. It takes a few seconds to register the room he's looking into as Jihoon's room,

and only nanoseconds to realize that no one was inside.

That determines his destination for tonight.

* * *

Jihoon's reclined on his chair. A normal person would immediately fall asleep right then and there, but when melodies ceaselessly bounce inside your head, trying to configure themselves into the best combination possible, it's easy for one to get sidetracked from a normal sleep routine.

Three knocks on the studio's door make it to Jihoon's ears, and Jihoon has at least half a mind to let his visitor in. "Couldn't sleep?" he asks Seungcheol when he opens the door, and the older just smiles in response. Jihoon leaves the door open for Seungcheol to enter, and he counts three seconds before the door shuts again.

Seungcheol sets down a plastic bag onto the couch, and Jihoon can hear the clinking of at least two soju bottles. "I keep reminding you to not overwork yourself, but I guess you've stopped listening to me a long time ago."

Jihoon chuckles. "If it weren't for me pulling these late nights, we wouldn't be where we are now." He sits down in front of his monitor again, staring once more into the numerous lines of track upon track. 

"You know you're not the only one pulling your weight, right?" The sound of two caps being popped open permeates the still and welcoming air between them. "We're all working hard to make SEVENTEEN shine no matter what. Just because you're a major part of our music composing doesn't mean you have to throw away your sense of self-preservation."

Jihoon knows this is a conversation he's familiar with. Seungcheol's words have always struck a chord within him, on more ways than one. And over time, he's come to embody his words to the point where he's had less late nights compared to earlier in their musical career. He knows how to take care of himself. He's not a child, for goodness' sake.

No, tonight led Jihoon to his studio with a purpose--a purpose to forget.

But Seungcheol, despite having over a decade of history between them, would never get to hear the truth. He would have to pry it from his cold, dead hands. (Jihoon honestly thinks he could as his mind vividly recalls the body Seungcheol's spent hours in the gym for. His efforts have really paid themselves off.) "I'm not throwing away my self-preservation, if that's what you think. I just felt like working on this one song." He's using his passion for music as an excuse. Well, it's not so much of an excuse, anyway; he really does love music. He's made so many sacrifices for it, and he's used it as a way to escape harsh realities and the world's whirling headaches. 

So why does it feel wrong to use it now?

"All right, all right. Whatever you say." Seungcheol pulls up a chair beside Jihoon, and the soju smells stronger now. "The title's track already done, right?"

"Yeah. I'm just making sure the remastering for 'Pinwheel' is okay." He hopes Seungcheol won't notice how tense he's gotten in the shoulders, or how the tips of his ears have suddenly tinged red in a heartbeat.

But Seungcheol's known him for over a decade. As a result, Jihoon lets himself be dragged away from the computer when Seungcheol moves to pull at his chair, and it isn't long until he finds himself side-by-side with the older on one of the black leather couches not far from him. Seungcheol hands Jihoon the second opened bottle of soju, and Jihoon downs a hearty sip to ease his heart. 

"You look like you need to rest more," Seungcheol casually throws out.

"I'm perfectly fine."

"We both know you're lying."

To Jihoon, he's befriended late nights more than Seungcheol. He knows how weird he's been acting in recent days. From opting out of hangouts on relaxing days to being holed up in his room more often than not, Jihoon should've known this was coming. He should've known that Seungcheol would notice.

Jihoon's been relying on Seungcheol a lot more than usual. 

He didn't notice at first, but it's always the little things that tend to pile up to the point where they're unavoidable. With Seungcheol giving him extra portions of food during meal times, or Seungcheol spotting him in the gym during their workout sessions together, or even Seungcheol tucking him into the couch with a warm blanket on nights he would fall asleep in front of the TV, he's allowed himself to be coddled by someone he should also be taking care of. He knows how precious Seungcheol is to SEVENTEEN. As a leader of twelve other young men always gearing to take on the world, he's always provided stability in ways Jihoon could never.

That doesn't mean Seungcheol doesn't deserve the same love and care he's always given to them.

Maybe Seungcheol's the one without any self-preservation here.

Everything that he's done up until now has been for Seungcheol's sake. He didn't want him, someone so undeserving of having an extra head to keep track of, to worry about him too much. Just as he said, Jihoon's not the only one pulling his weight. He didn't have a right to say anything when Seungcheol exists, living day and night to take care of SEVENTEEN off-camera. 

So he relishes in the time he spends with him. More than a decade of history between them. Jihoon doesn't like thinking about the years that have passed; instead, he opts for reflecting on the stars that twinkle in the vast expanse of what his relationship with Seungcheol has become so far. Instead of thinking about numbers, about how long they've been friends for, Jihoon settles for having another listen at outrageous bouts of laughter shared between only them, and sinks into the warm hugs he used to get from Seungcheol on a near-daily basis.

Where did that warmth go?

Why did he stop giving it in the first place?

Sometimes, Jihoon blames himself for being so short. There are times where he overwhelmingly feels so much all at once, and he wishes he had more surface area to handle it all. But he didn't. 

Therefore, in an action fueled with the desire to seek that warmth once more, Jihoon gently lays his head onto Seungcheol's left shoulder, and hopes his longtime friend won't think much about it.

But this is Seungcheol.

In less than a second, he moves his arm until it's promptly under Jihoon's right, and he intertwines their fingers to provide Jihoon with a tranquility he didn't know he was searching for. 

Jihoon tries not to show his surprise, but he lets his fingers wrap around the large hand comfortably. A shaky breath stutters from Seungcheol's lips. 

Seconds pass before they finally relax their bodies, and Jihoon's head becomes heavier on Seungcheol's shoulder. Seungcheol, in turn, lays his head on Jihoon's, and Jihoon decides there's no place he would rather be. His rapid heartbeat falls in step with Seungcheol's, and there's nothing to disturb their little peace other than the sound of recording equipment on stand-by in the background.

They fall asleep to the lullabies of each other's presence.

And if anyone walked in the following morning to see the two of them sleeping on the couch, with Seungcheol's arm wrapped around a curled-up Jihoon,

then who were they to say anything?

**Author's Note:**

> UwU


End file.
